Welcome to the Guide for New Students/New Majors page of the Sociology/Anthropology department of Carleton College! Here you'll find advice from previous majors to help you in your decisions concerning SOAN classes you may take during your time at Carleton.

Quick Reference

• What is the study of Sociology?
• What is the study of Anthropology?
• Pros and cons of taking both intro courses during your first year at Carleton
• Pros and cons of taking a 200-level course during your first year
• Take Stats early!
• Which classes within the major fulfill Distros, the RAD requirement and/or the Writing requirement?
• Major progression
• Which classes are designated as freshman/sophomore priority?
• Goals Carleton SOAN hopes to instill in its majors by graduation
• Classes with a Civic Engagement component
• Recent comps
• What can you do with the major?
• Further information

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What is the study of Sociology?

"If there are any ways out of the crises of our period by means of intellect, is it not up to the social scientist to state them?  What we represent--although this is not always apparent--is man become aware of mankind.  It is on the level of human awareness that virtually all solutions to the great problems must now lie"

--C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare. Its subject matter ranges from the micro level of face-to-face interaction to the macro level of societies at large.

What is the study of Anthropology?

“Are you as interested as I am in knowing how, when, and where human life arose, what the first human societies and languages were like, why cultures have evolved along diverse but often remarkably convergent pathways, why distinctions of rank came into being, and how small bands and villages gave way to chiefdoms and chiefdoms to mighty states and empires?”

--Marvin Harris, Our Kind

Anthropology seeks to uncover principles of behavior that apply to all human communities. To an anthropologist, diversity itself—seen in body shapes and sizes, customs, clothing, speech, religion, and worldview—provides a frame of reference for understanding any single aspect of life in any given community. In truth, any detail of our behavior can be understood better when it is seen against the backdrop of the full range of human behavior. (AAA 2009).

Pros and cons of taking both intro courses during your first year at Carleton

There are two basic routes you can take when entering the SOAN major. The first is to take both Introduction to Sociology and Introduction to Anthropology during your first year at Carleton, which provides useful grounding in basic Sociological/Anthropological theory and gets these requirements out of the way early. Alternatively, you can choose to take only one and sample upper-level courses before making your decision to major, taking the second introductory course later on.

Pros and cons of taking a 200-level course during your first year

It’s common for there to be a certain amount of reservation during your first year at taking 200-level and above classes. This most commonly stems from the increased workload. It’s true that typically 200-level classes will have a greater reading or writing component than a 100-level, but there are benefits to taking them as well. Perhaps the biggest is that the 200-levels are more focused in their scope, examining such topics as religion, economy, gender, health, specific geographic or cultural regions, or conflict. Taking one of these can address current interests you might have, or spark a new one. Also, it gives you a greater understanding of the subfields of SO/AN.

Take Stats early!

It is a departmental requirement to take a basic Statistics course, though the choice of taking MATH 115 or MATH 215 is left up to you. Some majors in the past have had difficulty getting into the one that they want due to the high level of interest from other majors and/or departments. The recourse for this is to try to take it as early as possible, since you may not get in on your first try. Having taken a Statistics class will help you during Methods of Social Research (SOAN 240), another major requirement, as well as when you write your comps.

Which classes within the major fulfill Distros, the RAD requirement and/or the Writing requirement?

All classes within the SOAN major can help you fulfill your 18 required distribution credits in the Social Sciences with the exception of the classes taken on the SOAN Off-Campus study program in Guatemala and SOAN 400: Integrative Thesis (a.k.a. Comps).

Additionally, the following classes will fulfill the RAD (Recognition and Affirmation of Difference) requirement

• SOAN 110:Introduction to Anthropology

• SOAN 226: Anthropology of Gender

• SOAN 250: Ethnography of Latin America

• SOAN 251: Guatemala Program: Community Development, Cultural Empowerment and Social Change in Guatemala (Off-campus Program)

• SOAN 255: Sociology, Culture and Politics in South Asia

• SOAN 256: Ethnography of Africa

• SOAN 272: Ethnicity and Race

• SOAN 274: Language and Culture

• SOAN 331: Anthropological Thought and Theory

There are several classes that fulfill the Writing requirement, though they vary by professor. Check with the Office of the Registrar for more information.

More information about our course offerings can also be found at http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/soan/courses/

Major progression

For more information regarding your progress through the major, please go to http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/soan/major/progress/

Which classes are designated as freshman/sophomore priority?

Certain courses are offered as freshman or sophomore priority so that prospective majors can experience the fundamental courses before they need to declare. Please check with the Office of the Registrar for an up-to-date list of these classes. More information can be found here: http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/schedule/

Goals Carleton SOAN hopes to instill in its majors by graduation

The SOAN department does not impart a set of professional skills so much as educate its students to see the world through the eyes of a social scientist. In training students to view human events from a number of perspectives, SOAN develops the analytical and problem-solving skills necessary for any career. Graduates will have a strong grasp of qualitative and quantitative modes of analysis, knowledge of key theoretical developments in Sociology/Anthropology, and knowledge about various kinds of inequalities or social stratification based on ethnicity, race, class, and/or gender.

Classes with a Civic Engagement component

Recently, several departments at Carleton have experimented with classes that feature a civic engagement component, where the work done for the class not only helps the student gain a better understanding of topics and issues concerning the greater Northfield area, but actually assists the community by presenting their results. The students, the professors, and the community have found this initiative to be extremely positive. A list of the classes within the major that feature this component are listed below.

SOAN 215: Social Welfare
Instructor: Peter Brandon

This course asked students to investigate a welfare controversy and take a stand on the issue. Students used a variety of mixed methods to explore a topical issue at the local level.  An example of these projects included a needs-based study of transportation in Northfield, especially for low-income Northfielders.  Students interviewed community leaders and partners and those in need to identify action plans.  This important work by some of these students continues this Spring.

SOAN 262: Anthropology of Health and Illness
Instructor: Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg

In this course students partnered with HealthFinders and Growing Up Healthy. Students working with Growing Up Healthy conducted library-based research to better understand specific subpopulations (such as the Somali population in Faribault) and specific issues (such as refugee mental health, or culturally specific presentation of symptoms) of relevance to GUH's goals. Those working with HealthFinders helped developed and administered surveys to English and Spanish speakers. Students also organized and led focus groups and did participant observation of waiting rooms. This project culminated in a presentation to the Board of HealthFinders.

SOAN 395: Public Sociology
Instructor: Adrienne Falcón

Students in this course conducted needs-based assessments of Northfield and the Rice Country area to identify potential projects and collaborations between Carleton and local organizations. Groups of students focused specifically on the arts, business, and housing sectors. Within these sectors, students interviewed staff members of local organizations and government offices. At the end of the term, students created reports of their sectors and presented their findings in a presentation in which community partners were invited to attend.

Recent comps

Students have written their comprehensive assessment theses on a wide range of topics. Recent comps that earned distinction within the major have included:

• Testing Parents: The Connection between Parent Involvement and Reading Ability
• Gentrification in Chicago: Place-Based Communities in the New Global Economy
• Living Social Capital: Health Care and Social Networks among Elderly Jews in Odessa, Ukraine
• Children’s Homes in Russia and Singapore: A Cross-Cultural Comparative
• Influence Through Efficiency: An Application of the Frankfurt School to Contemporary Urban Theory
• Culture Specific Strategies for Public Health Communication: Diabetes Education in Immigrant Communities
• Stories for the Margins: Oppression and Resistance in the Marquette Park’s Young Women of Color
• The Coming Anomie: Globalization and the Decline of Social Order

What can you do with the major?

The qualitative and quantitative analytical skills acquired in the major prepare SOAN graduates for a wide variety of occupations. Some graduates join the workforce immediately, while others build on their SOAN skills with further technical training in other areas (medicine, law, social work, etc.). Below is but a short list of their professional accomplishments:

“I have my own business, called LeGeros International. We align partners for sustainable growth through facilitation of group process. My area of focus is international business, particularly sales and marketing teams.”

-Sheila LeGeros (class of 1983)

“I just moved to Istanbul after nearly 9 years in Indonesia and 4 years in Ethiopia. I work for DKT International finding ways to change behavior and promote safer sexual practices (like using condoms). We also sell and market condoms and a wide range of other contraceptives.  Am I the ‘outsider’ changing culture?  Yes, but it turns out that isn’t always a bad thing!”

-Chris Purdy (class of 1988)

“Since graduating Carleton, I've been active in many endeavors, including dancing professionally & living and working in Mexico. I'm now working at the Boston Consulting Group in New York, while finishing up an MA in Global Political Economy and Finance at the New School for Social Research.”

-Katherine Tait (class of 2000)

“I'm currently in law school at UC-Davis and sit on the board of a non-profit, The King Hall Legal Foundation. I spent last year teaching in India for The Akanksha Foundation.”

-Scott Vignos (Class of 2006)

Further information

Feel free to contact our Student Departmental Advisors, Becca Dougherty and Joe Sigrin, about any further questions you might have.

            Becca Dougherty: dougherb AT carleton DOT edu

            Joe Sigrin: sigrinj AT Carleton DOT edu

For information regarding involvement within the department, such as becoming a student worker within the office, attending the Wingspread conference, etc., please contact the departmental administrative assistant, Liz Musicant.

            Liz Musicant: emusican AT carleton DOT edu